


Overworked, But at Least I'm Home

by MorganaMagics



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Fever, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Nightmares, Overworked Character, Overworked Douxie, Platonic Relationships, Sick Character, Stress, supportive family, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:07:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganaMagics/pseuds/MorganaMagics
Summary: Douxie has a lot going on and it's starting to weigh him down.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	Overworked, But at Least I'm Home

Hisirdoux liked to think he had his priorities straight when he went into his local New York general store. He made a beeline for the hair care aisle, completely ignoring the medicine aisle despite the lecture Archie had given him earlier in the day about the medicine cabinet being utterly bare. Since moving to New York, Hisirdoux’s hair color had begun to fade. The blue streaks were going green in spots and as much as Hisirdoux liked to entertain the idea of green hair, it really wasn’t for him. As he stared at the pricing of his favorite dye, however, he realized he may have to give green a try. 

Three jobs were a lot but for an apartment in New York, it was just barely enough, especially with an extra mouth to feed. Don’t get Hisirdoux wrong, he enjoyed New York. It was loud, constantly moving. There was always something happening no matter the time of day and that made life just a little bit more exciting. Hisirdoux still missed the slow days of Acadia though and the times when he could actually catch eight hours of sleep. Now he barely got three. Nari had offered to get a job too but Hisirdoux had declined. It was too dangerous. Besides, what kind of wizard would he be if he couldn’t help the people he cared about?

Hisirdoux picked up a box of blue hair dye, a clearance brand he wasn’t familiar with. He read the back, clearing his throat as a tickle bothered the back of it. The box had the usual stuff on it, though it was quite vague with some of its instructions, usually a red flag but Hisirdoux didn’t really have any other choice at this point. 

Dropping the box into the basket slung over his left arm, Hisirdoux made his way to the register. He barely had the chance to step in line before the tickle in his throat caught him by surprise. He lurched slightly from the force of the cough, eyes watering at the corners. A few other customers looked between him and the medicine aisle. Hisiridoux took that as a hint and turned his back on the register, making his way to the aisle Archie had been trying to get him to go to all week. Cough drops and cough medicine fell into his basket.

The way home was quiet. Or, as quiet as New York could get. There was the blare of sirens in the distance and the sound of a saxophone from some nearby street performers. Normally, Hisirdoux loved the sounds of the city but not today. There was an ache behind his eyes and across his temple, the kind that made him want to curl up into bed with his head under a pillow. Even that would need to wait. He had to make dinner, do dishes, and oh yeah, the internet bill was due too. It was already 9:00 pm now. By the time he was finished, it would probably be 1:00 am, a new record in Hisirdoux’ book. 

Hisirdoux took the steps of his building two at a time. By the time he reached his apartment on the third floor, he was panting and swaying slightly on his feet, a wave of dizziness crept up on him. He normally didn’t have a problem with the steps but he hadn’t eaten all day so maybe his blood sugar was low?

With a wave of his hand, Hisirdoux undid the hidden locks on the door. He stepped inside, greeted by the soft sound of _NOVA_ playing on his TV. Hisirdoux kicked off his shoes and placed his hair dye and cough medicine in the bathroom, popping a few cough drops in his mouth to calm down the tickle in his throat. He peeked into the living room then, smiling as he spotted Nari fast asleep on the couch, Archie snuggled up on her chest. 

“Did you guys eat already?” Hisirdoux whispered. 

Archie lifted his head, smiling at Hisirdoux. He stretched out his limbs and spread his wings, flying into the air and landing on Hisirdoux’s shoulder. 

“We left you some pasta in the fridge,” Archie said while rubbing his face against Hisirdoux’s cheek. “Tried out that new Italian restaurant downtown.”

Hisiroux’ stomach growled at the mention of food and he happily made his way to the kitchen. He popped the pasta into the microwave, a coughing fit hitting him out of nowhere and nearly startling Archie off his shoulder. 

“You’re sick?”

“Nah.” Hisirdoux cleared his throat. “Just breathed in too much cold air. Forgot my scarf,” he lied. 

Archie must have been able to sense the lie. He gave Hisirdoux a hard look but didn’t say anything, simply watching the microwave with Hisirdoux. The wizard played with the two cough drops in his mouth. Maybe one more wouldn’t be a bad idea. 

Night was rough. As expected, Hisirdoux had made it to bed a little after one. Even then, he was only asleep for maybe two hours at most before he was shooting upward, Merlin’s name on the tip of his tongue. His face was sticky with drying tears and a light sheen of sweat clinging to his brow. There was a tremble to his body too, one that shook him from the inside out. 

Archie scooted closer to Hisirdoux, head butting his arm lightly. 

“You okay?”

Hisirdoux closed his eyes. As he shook his head. More tears slipped from his eyes, dribbling down his chin to dampen his blanket.

“You want to talk about it?”

A choked sob broke past Hisirdoux’s lips, followed by a few wet coughs. He carefully picked up Archie, hugging the familiar to his chest.

“Merlin died in my arms again,” Hisirdoux sniffled. “I couldn’t do anything.”

“Oh, Douxie,” Archie whispered and he started to purr.

The soft purr was relaxing. Hisirdoux leaned back against the headboard of his bed, closing his eyes and taking in the softness of the noise around him. It ground him and, in a matter of minutes, he was asleep again. 

When morning came, Hisirdoux contemplated whether leaving his bed was a good idea or not. His head was still aching, the pressure behind his eyes even more prominent than the night prior. Unfortunately, it was a workday and Hisirdoux had about twenty minutes to get dressed and out the door before he missed the bus. 

With a grunt, Hisirdoux wobbled onto his feet. He left the bedroom, barely making it to the kitchen before a wave of dizziness sent him crashing to the floor. 

Archie caught Hisirdoux by the shirt before the wizard’s head could become an omelet on the hallway floor. Archie set him down and Hisirdoux curled up tight, knees touching the tip of his nose. He didn’t want to move. It was so much cooler on the ground, less dizzy too. 

“You are sick,” Archie huffed as he felt Hisirdoux’s forehead with a steady paw. “You’re staying home. No excuse.”

Hisirdoux didn’t even try to come up with one. He felt too heavy. All he wanted right now was to crawl back to his bed and sleep until the next century. 

With some help from Archie, Hisirdoux managed to get back into bed. He struggled with the blankets for a while, feeling too hot and cold at the same time. By the time he had settled down, Nari was bringing him tea. It was a special blend she had made herself with plants that reduce fevers. It tasted terrible but Hisirdoux tried not to show it on his face. He was thankful for Nari’s help. It had always just been him and Archi before. Having another person around was nice in times like these. 

Sleep dragged Hisirdoux under after he finished a cup of tea. He resurfaced a few times, never gaining true consciousness until some point late at night when even the streets outside his window were eerily quiet. 

“How are you feeling?” Archie asked from Hisirdoux side. He had sensed his wizard waking and was now looking up at Hisirdoux with big, sleepy eyes.

There was still a slight tickle in the back of his throat but other than that, Hisirdoux felt right as rain. Even the ache in his head had been banished from his head. 

Archie crawled up into Hisirdoux’s lap as the wizard told him so. The familiar began purring, tail swishing lightly in the air before tapping lazily on the bed. 

“Nari’s looking into remote jobs.”

Hisisdoux flinched. A wave of guilt wandered into his heart and he furiously shook his head. 

“We’ll be okay. I can…”

“No.” Archie hissed, voice stern. “You need rest.”

Hisirdoux let out an irritated huff. He raised his arms, mouth falling open as he prepared to argue but Archie beat him there. The familiar turned and faced Hisirdoux, eyes glowing dangerously in the dark of the bedroom. 

“You don’t need to support us all on your own.”

He knew that. Nari was smart and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. There were times she struggled with blending in with human society but she was learning and growing better by the day. Archie too was just as good. He knew how and when to flaunt his cat-like appearance, taking full advantage of the animal lovers surrounding the apartment. Still, what if they needed him? What if he wasn’t there? He would never forgive himself if something went wrong and he wasn’t there to help. 

“Then focus on your health now,” Archie said, having sensed every little worry radiating off of Hisirdoux. “You’re no help to anyone sick.” A small smile pulled on the familiar's eyes. “And Nari is excited about the job. She’s been cooped up so long, you know?”

Hisirdoux did know. He nodded in acknowledgment and settled back into his bed. His eyes were beginning to grow heavy, too weak to stay open for very long. Archie purred at him to close his eyes and Hisirdoux listened, deciding maybe it was time he let his friends take over for his overworked body. For now at the very least. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you let me stare at Tenya's sketch of sick Douxie for months.


End file.
